So the number of available rental properties in the city declines and the the cost of rent goes up accordingly - simple economics. Housing affordability is at a 25 year low, mainly due to the careful staging of land releases and so called government controls on urban sprawl and sustainable development.

With basic home prices now in excess of $420 000 AUD, the proposal by Labor government is hardly an incentive to "Mum and Dad" investors.

Perhaps these struggling young families could opt for a better lifestyle if prepared to relocate from the city to the larger regional centres, where housing is still affordable and there are jobs ie. if prepared to do any kind of work within reason.

Who needs a huge mansion, a white-collar job and a fancy lifestyle with a mortgage for years to come. That is If they ever do finish paying for it?

The reality is that people want to live close to the CBD - not out in the boondocks - and with all the marketing hype aspire for grandeur.